Reds roster

[eburg5000]

A wasted pitching effort by Mahle. It doesn't matter who pitches against the Reds right now . They can't hit any body.

I'm not are what thy are doing in spring training to get ready for the season, but it ain't working what ever it is.

A week into the season and already 4 and a half games back. 500 season not looking good right now

 

[Hit-n-Run]

I didn't post much during the off season because I didn't like the direction of the club. Entering the season I felt this team was more likely to lose 90 games than to play near .500 ball. Overall I am very disappointed with the roster construction.

 

[JohnU]

A wasted pitching effort by Mahle. It doesn't matter who pitches against the Reds right now . They can't hit any body.

I'm not are what thy are doing in spring training to get ready for the season, dvbut it ain't working what ever it is.

A week into the season and already 4 and a half games back. 500 season not looking good right now

I suspect the weak hitting is connected to defenses as much as pitching and hitters can't really prepare for that in advance.
Frustrating to lose to 3-4 rotation pitchers, for sure, but the overall 'baseball card' shows that (a.) Reds pitching will level off at the same rate other teams do and (b.) The hitters simply don't all fall off the cliff at once.

 

[Redsfan1507]

think these guys will score again this season ?

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Starting pitchers must feel like they're shooting fish in a barrel these last three games.

The Reds haven't scored in 28 innings and counting. That's not easy to do.

 

[JohnU]

It's pretty hard to advance the narrative that these guys a are incapable of playing well enough to win a game. A lot of team go through crunches like this and it only bothers us because we saw what we believed was the worst of it a year ago .... and were led to believe we'd be better this year.

I guess I can play Mr. Optimistic and I clearly don't think it's a problem that needs to be addressed beyond ... well, this ... Musgrave threw about 70 percent curve balls over 3 innings and not one single Reds hitter adjusted to it.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

I don't chart pitches, but it seems that Reds hitters have been seeing an inordinate amount of off speed pitches. It's become obvious, that is the book on this team. Pitchers are exploiting the hitting approach. There has been very little plate discipline early on.

Successful pitchers don't tip their pitches and hitters can't pick up spin early enough on off speed pitches with good depth to determine the amount of movement. What has looked like a strike the first 50 feet has been vanishing into thin air.

Off speed pitchers don't live inside the strike zone. They show you a cookie and then pull the string. Until this team stops swinging at thin air they're not going to get better pitches to hit.

Not every pitcher will be able to execute the scouting report. This team will feast when it is fed a steady diet of cookies. But pitchers that execute are going to exploit this lineup until an adjustment in approach is made.

 

[JohnU]

I don't chart pitches, but it seems that Reds hitters have been seeing an inordinate amount of off speed pitches. It's become obvious, that is the book on this team. Pitchers are exploiting the hitting approach. There has been very little plate discipline early on.

Successful pitchers don't tip their pitches and hitters can't pick up spin early enough on off speed pitches with good depth to determine the amount of movement. What has looked like a strike the first 50 feet has been vanishing into thin air.

Off speed pitchers don't live inside the strike zone. They show you a cookie and then pull the string. Until this team stops swinging at thin air they're not going to get better pitches to hit.

Not every pitcher will be able to execute the scouting report. This team will feast when it is fed a steady diet of cookies. But pitchers that execute are going to exploit this lineup until an adjustment in approach is made.

I know for sure I would never make a living by hitting MLB pitching. Dunno what has changed other than, 'it's still early.'
The guys they are facing are not the top of the rotation but are part of pretty good pitching staffs. Not all teams go that deep but plenty of them do, including most of the NL-E.
The Reds pitching has benefited from the reality that there are more good (read that: experienced) pitchers now, making guys like Roark and Wood expendable.
Fool's gold, perhaps. This isn't on the Reds. The defensive shifts are killing the Scheblers of the world and they'll do in Scooter when he gets back and eventually Suarez and Winker.

 

[eburg5000]

At least they scored yesterday, 1 and 7 on the season. This is worse than last year

 

[JohnU]

Two things are happening: Some of these over-rated hitters (Kemp, Schebler) are losing out to shifts and data. That will not change.

The Pirates currently are the luckiest team in modern baseball. That is not an estimate. The Reds are losing to them because dribblers up the middle on H and R plays are getting through.

The Reds have horrible OF defense and we knew they would. We just didn't know that lucky-ass teams will make that obvious.

I see a team that is 6 games under .500, not a lost cause.

 

[eburg5000]

Two things are happening: Some of these over-rated hitters (Kemp, Schebler) are losing out to shifts and data. That will not change.

Schebler is still young. Kemp can't get to routine fly ball, and looks like he should retire. Maybe most of the bullpen should retire as well

Bell said he isn't worried about this losing streak things will even out.

 

[JohnU]

I am personally not **worried** as a fan about the losing streak but I conceded it's not as much fun to watch these guys lose game after game inside their own division.

If you want to contend, the people you play 19 times a year can't beat you 8 out of 10. You just CANNOT let this happen.

 

[Hit-n-Run]

Short of a blind squirrel finding a nut and hitting a home run this team hasn't been winning many AB's.

The Reds were the 2nd youngest team in 2017, 2nd in 2018, and currently have jumped up to 19th. There is something to be said for experience, but early on this team looks old and slow.

How much of what we're seeing can be attributed to a new coaching staff? The paint hasn't had time to dry on whatever changes they've made, so a little patience may be required before passing final judgement.

 

[JohnU]

Short of a blind squirrel finding a nut and hitting a home run this team hasn't been winning many AB's.

The Reds were the 2nd youngest team in 2017, 2nd in 2018, and currently have jumped up to 19th. There is something to be said for experience, but early on this team looks old and slow.

How much of what we're seeing can be attributed to a new coaching staff? The paint hasn't had time to dry on whatever changes they've made, so a little patience may be required before passing final judgement.

I attribute part of this to Pittsburgh's unsustainable good luck against pitching that was clearly equal except for a couple of innings. That's not much consolation but it's an observation that could be provable as the month wears on.

 

[eburg5000]

6 games back after 9 games doesn't concern me either. I try not to get concerned about things I have no control over. However starting the season at the bottom of the barrel for the 2nd year in a row is a little discouraging I would at least have the dim hope the Reds might return to BRM form, until the end of April
At this point its going to be an up hill battle to reach 500

 

[eburg5000]

6 games back after 9 games doesn't concern me either. I try not to get concerned about things I have no control over. However starting the season at the bottom of the barrel for the 2nd year in a row is a little discouraging I would at least have the dim hope the Reds might return to BRM form, until the end of April
At this point its going to be an up hill battle to reach 500